


The Steward

by randomlittleimp



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Smitten, after Beyond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 06:49:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10551900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomlittleimp/pseuds/randomlittleimp
Summary: Leonard meets a new crew member





	1. Chapter 1

“I don’t understand why we need more crew members on board Jim. We were doing just fine with the number of crew we had before. More people means more possibilities of accident and illness.” Leonard was practically stomping his way down to the new Medbay while going over the new crew list on his PADD. His best friend and captain, James T. Kirk, followed behind him, a small gratified smirk on his lips as Leonard grumbled on. If the good doctor was complaining all was right with the world as far as Kirk was concerned.

“It’s a bigger ship Bones, plenty of room for more people, and all the more reason for a couple more Stewards on board. I really don’t see a problem.” He slapped a hand on his friend's shoulder as he fell in stride with the older man.

“Fine, but why do we need one just for senior crew? That just seems a bit excessive.” Leonard sighed as he brushed Jim’s hand off.

“Think of it as a perk of your position. Come on Bones, we have the newest, most advanced ship in the fleet thanks to the Commodore, just grin and bare it. Besides you never bothered to use the Stewards we had before, what makes you think that is going to change. You won’t even notice her.” With that Kirk skipped off towards the new bridge with a quick wink to Leonard, who just rolled his eyes and headed off to the left to double check that the medical supplies were being cataloged properly.

Eight long hours later Leonard headed towards his quarters thinking of nothing but a nice hot shower to loosen up his aching muscles. Once inside he quickly stripped and headed to the EnSuite only to find the shelves that were meant to be full of towels were instead completely empty. “God damn it Jim, if this is some kind of prank I will kill you.’ He mumbled under his breath while pulling his pants back on before calling the Stewards comm. 

“This is Lieutenant Pulaski, what can I do for you Doctor McCoy?” the voice on the comm asked sweetly.

“I seem to be lacking towels. Luckily I noticed before I got in the shower. Do you think you could send some to my quarters, uhm please.” Jim hadn’t been kidding before, Leonard had never bothered the Steward on the previous ship. There had been no reason to. So he really wasn’t sure what the protocol was.

“God damn it, of all the incompetent, stupid mistakes. I wish I could tan their hides.” he heard the previously sweet voice grumbling under her breathe before realizing she could still be heard. “Sorry, uhm, yes of course sir. I will bring them by promptly, and I apologize for the inconvenience. Pulaski out.”

Leonard couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at that, thinking he might be able to get along just fine with this Lieutenant Pulaski. 

 

When his door buzzed just a few minutes later, Leonard almost felt excited to meet the person on the other side of the door. It was crazy to think a woman would have this kind of effect on him from one comm conversation. He took a deep breath to calm his sudden nerves, shaking his head for acting like some kind of teenager, and opened the door. 

In front of him stood a woman with pale skin and light brown hair pulled back in a simple French twist. She was a few inches shorter then him and her dark brown eyes sparkled as she gave him a lovely smile from above the large pile of towels she carried in her arms. All those years being taught how to be a gentleman came back to him at once, “Here let me take those for you.” he said as he reached out to take the towels from her arms. Before he could though she glided past him and headed towards to EnSuite.

“Don’t be silly doctor, I’ve got it. I do apologize again for the lack to begin with. The dock crew that was helping stock the ship seemed unable to handle the simplest of jobs. A lack of towels is actually one of the complaints we have been getting a lot of today.” She started to stack the towels on the proper shelves as she spoke. 

“Really? You would think they would know what they were doing, since most of them had worked on other outfitting jobs before.”

“Tell that to the captain.” She grumbled as she put the last of the towels away.

“Jim? Why what happened to him? Please tell me, I could use a good laugh.” He looked at her expectantly.

“It’s no laughing matter doctor.” She said plainly, but couldn’t help a little smirk when he raised an eyebrow at her. “Okay, but you didn’t hear this from me. It seems when the captain went to his quarters to retire earlier he found himself lacking a mattress.”

“HA!” Leonard guffawed, laughing at another person's suffering was wrong, but this was Jim, and that was a totally different matter.   
“Seriously, there was just a stack of sheets and blankets on the floor next to the frame. They even forgot his pillows.” The lieutenant giggled behind her hand.

“So where is he sleeping? Please tell me he’s sleeping on his sofa, it would make my day.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but no he is not on the sofa. We tracked down his mattress still boxed up in the cargo bay. He is all set up now.” she sighed. “Well, I should go. Is there anything else you are missing I should know about?” Getting back to a more professional conversation.

“No, no I think that’s all. Thank you.” Leonard gave her a grin before she turned and headed back towards the door. She was leaving and for some reason it made his chest ache a little, “Wait, there is one thing I don’t have.” He called out quickly as she was about to walk out into the corridor.

She turned and looked at him, “Yes, what is it?”

“Your first name.” He tried to give her a friendly grin, even though his stomach was twisting with nervous energy. He really was starting to feel like a teenager with his first crush.

She grinned back at him, and he could have swore he saw a little blush cross her cheeks. “Annabell, but my friends call me Anne.”

“Well Anne, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we will see each other again soon.” Leonard took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles.


	2. Chapter 2

“So I hear you got to meet our dear new Steward. I thought you didn’t use that privilege Bones?” Jim was obviously trying to get a rise out of him as they ate lunch together in the mess.

“Don’t be ridiculous Jim. I never said I wouldn’t use it if need be, just that senior staff having one all their own was a bit silly. Besides what was I to do, I had no towels. From what I hear I got off easy.” Leonard smirked a little as he looked up at his friend. 

Jim laughed, “You could say that.” After another minute of comfortable silence Jim added, “She isn’t bad looking though, I wonder if she’s single.”

Leonard choked on his salad, a reaction that did not go unnoticed. He wasn’t sure why but the thought of Jim dating Anne made him unsettled in a way he hadn’t felt in years. When he was able to get his composure back he said, “ I wouldn't bother kid. A nice southern girl like that wouldn’t fall for any of your cheesy lines.”

“I do declare my good Bones, I think you might be smitten with the young lady.” Jim did his best impression of a old fashioned southern gent, and sounded rather ridiculous to Leonard, to be honest. 

He got up from the table as Jim laughed a bit at his own joke, “Whatever Jim, but don’t be surprised when I’m right and she shoots you down.” 

Leonard headed down to the medbay, a slight hop in his step. The idea of Anne shooting down his dear friend’s advances made him a little gleeful, and he hoped he could be there to witness the disaster with his own eyes. His steps began to slow as his mind wandered to the thought of what if she didn’t turn him down. What if she said yes. Suddenly his stomach dropped in fear and he wasn’t sure why. He barely knew the woman, he had no reason to feel this strongly about the situation going either way.

Leonard shook his head, clearing the dark thoughts and started back towards his destination with determination to not think about it another second. It might have worked if he didn’t spot the woman in question sitting on a biobed as soon as he entered the Medbay. His heart filled with dread at what could possible be wrong.

Leonard walked over to her, taking all his willpower not to break out in a run, what the hell was wrong with him. “Anne? What brings you down here? Are you hurt?”

Her eyes turned to him a smile lighting up her face as she saw him there. “Oh it’s nothing really Doctor, just a little sprain.” She held her wrist up towards him, “I admit I over did it a bit yesterday going through all those boxes in the cargo bay getting everyone settled in. I broke it as a kid and it’s been a bit touchy ever since.”

“Please, call me Leonard. Let’s have a look at that wrist.” Leonard took her wrist gently in hand feeling the joint for swelling and tenderness, noting when Anne seemed to flinch or hiss is pain. “It doesn’t seem too bad. I’ll give you something for the pain and inflamation and recommend you take it easy with it for a day or two. Should be right as rain in no time.” he turned to the cabinet next to the biobed and began to prepare a hypo, “So how did you break it, fall out of a tree?”

Anne gave him a mischievous grin, “Actually, I got thrown from a horse.” She laughed a bit as his eyes widen at her admission, “Seems it didn’t want to be ridden bare back by a headstrong nine year old.” She let out a small hiss of pain as Leonard pressed the hypo to her neck.

He gently rubbed the injection spot to ease the discomfort, “A wild child, were you. I’ll have to remember that.” He smiled at her and she gazed back at him a sweet smile on her face as well. It was a few seconds before they realized they were staring into each others eyes and his hand had stilled on her neck, the warmth of her skin under his fingers feeling quite nice.

Leonard quickly coughed and took a step away from Anne to turn and go see to another patient, “You’ll be fine, but let me know if the pain persists more than a couple of days.” A slight blush creeping up his neck.

Anne’s cheeks were a bit flush as well as she looked down at her feet, “Uhm, Yes Leonard, thank you.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next time Leonard saw Anne was in the mess that evening for dinner. She was dutifully wearing the wrist brace he had given her and was trying to carry her tray over to her seat with a pained look on her face. "Here, let me take that for you. I thought I told you to take it easy on that wrist." Leonard grabbed the tray from her arms just as it looked like she might drop it.

Anne gave a sigh of relief, "Thank you Leonard. I know you said take it easy but they had real baked potatoes! Real potatoes, not replicated ones. I was not missing that. i may have gone a bit overboard on the toppings though." She gave him a sheepish smile as he walked her over to his table, setting her tray down across from his own without a second thought.

"You don't care for replicator potatoes?" 

"Not really, the flavor is fine, but the texture is off, a little too grainy. The fried chicken is good though." Anne slid into the seat across from Leonard and began to eat her food.

"Yep, it tastes just like chicken." Leonard laughed lightly as she smiled. They sat in near silence as they both made their way through the meal. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, Leonard noticed, it was just nice.

"Bones! There you are. I've been looking all over for you." The sudden and loud appearance of Leonard's best friend and Captain makes him groan inwardly.

"Obviously you didn't look too hard, it's not like I'm hiding." Leonard grumbles to the younger man as he grabs a seat next to him. "I take dinner at the same time every day Jim. You'd have to be an idiot not to be able to find me. What am I saying, this is you we are talking about." He smiles as Anne tries to stifle a small laugh at his jab.

"You wound me Bones. What did I do to deserve a friend like you." Jim clutches at his chest in mock pain.

"Oh I'm sure there is a list somewhere." Anne answers with a smile before taking another forkful of potato getting a bigger smile out of Leonard. He couldn't help but love her sense of humor, even Jim had a chuckle at that.

"If it isn't the most beautiful senior staff steward aboard the Enterprise." Jim takes up Anne's injured wrist and gently places a kiss to her wrapped knuckles before shooting her his heart breakingly brilliant smile Leonard had seen in action a few too many times.

"I'm the only senior staff steward aboard the Enterprise Captain, so that isn't really saying much." Anne takes her hand back before giving Jim a half hearted smile of her own.

"Touche. She really is something, isn't she Bones?" Leonard sputters a bit as Jim elbows him in the side for emphasis.

"More than a match for you, I'd say." Leonard responds.

"Too true Bones, too true. Which is why I was going to ask you to join me for dinner Annabelle." Jim shoots her another blinding smile, as Leonard tries to act like he's not there anymore. Afraid of her answer and the emotions that he might reveal when he hears it.

"Well, that is a mighty kind offer Captain, but I'm going to have to decline as I am already having a rather enjoyable dinner with Leonard here. I think one dinner date at a time is more than enough for one girl, don't you?" 

Jim doesn't even seem to be fazed by her rejection, "You are right of course. maybe another time then." Leonard, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten how to breathe.

“Is this a date? I thought we were just sharing a table?” Once he had remembered that his lungs required oxygen to work he tried to keep his tone light. He didn't want to read too much into her words.

“I was just trying to find a nice way to let him down. Sorry for using your proximity as my excuse.” Anne gave Leonard a sheepish little smile.

He tried not to let the disappointment show on his face, “No, that's fine. That man needs to be knocked down a peg or two every once in awhile. I am more than happy to help with that.”

Anne was looking at him curiously, maybe he hadn’t schooled his expression as well as he thought. “Leonard, did you want this to be a date?”

Leonard looked her in the eyes and sighed, there was no going back now. “I admit it was not what I was thinking when we first sat down, but if it is an option I think I'd enjoy sharing an evening with you. If you'd have me, that is.”

Anne’s face lit up with the biggest smile he could have imagined. “I would love to share an evening with you Leonard. Now that I've finished my potato the only thing left is for you to walk me back to my door.”


End file.
